The Best Xbox One Horror Games Available Now

Who doesn’t love a good scare? Horror titles can keep you on the edge of your computer chair with no telling just what may be around the corner, or if you’ll even survive your journey. These scary games were made specifically to be enjoyed alone in the dark–if you dare. In this list, we’re showcasing some of our picks for the best Xbox One horror games you can pick up right now.

#29 Dredge

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S Switch 
Release Date: March 30, 2023

Steam | Playstation | Xbox | Nintendo

For ages, sailors would tell tales of the high seas and the dangers that lurked beneath the waves. But many of these tales were far-fetched, exaggerated, or simply not true. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t monsters of the deep, and in Dredge, you will get up close and personal with many of them.

Your journey will start as a simple fisherman trying to make their way and learn the truth about the islands they fish within. But once you dare to brave the darkened waters at night, you’ll see just how many “bigger fish” there are out there and how small your boat feels in comparison.

So you best start believing in monster fish stories. You’re in one.

#28 The Callisto Protocol

Developer: Striking Distance Studios
Publisher: KRAFTON
Release Date : December 02, 2022
Platfrom: PC PS4 PS5 XSX|S Xbox One

So you’re looking for a new horror game to play right now? The Callisto Protocol will likely satisfy that itch for you.

The title came out recently, and it features a story that is horrifying and tense. You are Jacob, an inmate on a prison colony set on Callisto, the moon of Jupiter. Everything is going normally when an outbreak occurs, and everything falls apart.

Desperate to escape, Jacob must find a way out of the situation he’s in. That won’t be easy, considering all the monsters trying to kill him. Find the truth about this place, and see if you can survive long enough to tell someone about it!

#27 Martha is Dead

• Publisher: Wired Productions
• Developer: LKA

Martha is Dead is a survival horror game set in the closing years of World War II in German-occupied Italy. Released in February 2022, the game is arguably most famous at this point for being censored on PlayStation consoles. Some of the more graphic content was removed from that version of the game. The game remains censor-free on Xbox and PC. Censoring the game naturally caused a Streisand effect and now more people know about it than probably ever would have. Besides the censored (or un-censored on Xbox and PC) content, Martha is Dead is a truly horrifying (in the best way) experience.

#26 Chernobylite

• Publisher: All in! Games SA
• Developer: The Farm 51

Chernobylite might just be the most immersive entry on this list. The Farm 51’s first-person survival game is dripping with tension and horror, taking place in a 3D-scanned version of Chornobyl’s Exclusion Zone. If walking through a twisted version of an infamous nuclear powerplant doesn’t pull you in, maybe the game’s RPG elements and the non-linear story will. Either way, there’s not much like being dropped into the world of Chernobylite.

#25 Remothered: Broken Porcelain

• Developer: Stormind Games
• Publisher: Modus Games

Remothered is a newer horror franchise IP. Developed by Stormind Games, in 2020 the game received a sequel called Remothered: Broken Porcelain. Just like the first installment, this is a survival horror game where more of the focus is exploration, gathering items, and staying away from enemies when possible. This new installment actually throws in more of a combat mechanic, but it’s a bit lacking. In this game, players take the role of a young girl who was kicked out of a boarding school. Forced to work in a manor, players soon find out that this location has some pretty dark secrets.

Players will be roaming around and hiding from enemies. However, you’ll have the ability to attack them if you sneak behind carefully. There are even some traps that players will be able to lay out to lure some enemies toward a certain area. Visually, this game looks great as the development team really cranked in an atmospheric and realistic view, both for the characters and the level design. If you enjoyed Remothered: Tormented Fathers then you may want to give Remothered: Broken Porcelain a go.

#24 The Quarry

• Developer: Supermassive Games
• Publisher: 2K

The attempt to get horror games made in a meaningful and truly scary way is not the easiest to do. But when it comes to The Quarry from Supermassive Games, they definitely got one of the best attempts out there.

We say that because in this game, you’ll be a set of camp counselors who after an “accident” will be stuck at the camp one day after it ends. In that one day, they’ll be facing monsters, corrupt people, and more, and it’s their very choices that’ll lead to them living or dying.

But if someone dies, don’t fret, you’ll have a chance to save them…possibly. There are such a variety of ways to end the game that you’ll honestly just need to get into the game yourself and see where your story takes you.

#23 Resident Evil: Revelations

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

If you’re looking for a side story to play through from the Resident Evil series, we have to suggest checking into the Resident Evil: Revelations titles. There are a total of two installments available which take place between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5.

Within Resident Evil: Revelations, players follow staple characters of the series, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, as they attempt to stop a bioterrorist organization from infecting Earth’s oceans with a chemical virus.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 follows the events of the first Revelations title and sees the return of Claire Redfield. For the first time ever, gamers can play as Barry Burton as well. It’s also worth noting that for the sequel, you’ll find that the narrative will take place between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. This isn’t a big action Resident Evil release either– Revelations titles act more like a survival horror experience. As such, players can expect to conserve ammo, solve puzzles, explore, and at times, evade the enemy.

#22 Dying Light

• Developer: Techland
• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Techland had a hit when they released Dead Island. Following that, however, they moved on to a new IP called Dying Light. Instead of a tropical paradise, the game puts players in a bleak world where they take the role of Kyle Crane. Kyle has infiltrated a quarantine zone city called Harran, believed to be infested with a new virus that’s turned humanity into mindless zombies. During the day, you’ll find that these zombies are pretty easy and tame to deal with. However, things take a drastic turn during the night, as the zombies become incredibly aggressive.

Fortunately, players have a wide range of parkour skills at the ready, so making it around the city on foot is pretty easy when you need to flee. Combat has been changed from the melee-focused gameplay we saw in Dead Island to a focus on gunplay, giving players a more intense action-adventure experience. Players can go through the campaign cooperatively, or can also play with friends in a battle-infected mode where one infected player sets out to infect the rest of the group.

#21 Resident Evil: Revelations 2

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

Resident Evil has a long history spanning a number of major installments and a slew of spin-offs. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is an interesting addition, taking place between the events of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6.

In the game, Claire Redfield steps back into the franchise after she is accepted into an anti-bioterrorism organization called Terra Save. However, during her welcome party, a group storms the building and takes Claire along with Moria Burton. The duo wake up to find themselves in an abandoned facility leaving them to work together in hopes of figuring out what’s going on. This game features cooperative gameplay support where you’ll find the usual tropes from the Resident Evil franchise such as gathering resources like ammo, dealing with hostile undead enemies, and completing a series of puzzles.

#20 The Evil Within

• Developer: Tango Gameworks
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

The Evil Within was directed by Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami. The game focuses on Sebastian Castellanos, a detective that gets pulled into a distorted world during an investigation. Staying true to the survival horror genre, The Evil Within will have players struggling against a fight with nightmarish creatures while avoiding traps, sneaking around the world, and solving complex puzzles.

Likewise, the video game series received a new installment with The Evil Within 2. The title takes place three years after the events of the first game, where Sebastian once again takes on a new investigation that involves his daughter who he thought was deceased. Sure, the sequel may have a few little hiccups in comparison to the original, but both are definitely well worth playing today.

#19 Outlast 2

• Developer: Red Barrels
• Publisher: Red Barrels

Outlast 2 follows similar game mechanics from the first installment. This time around, players will take on the role of Blake Langermann, an investigative journalist and cameraman.

On their journey, Blake and his wife become separated after their helicopter crashes. Much like the last installment, gamers are not able to engage in combat with the enemies that lurk about. Instead, he’ll mostly have to hide and run away from any nearby danger while using his night vision camera to get a clear view of the area.

#18 Layers of Fear

• Developer: Bloober Team
• Publisher: Aspyr

Layers of Fear is a unique game that brings about one of the worst kinds of fears: the inability to trust your own mind. As the player, you enter the story of an unnamed man who has just returned home and wants to return to his workshop to complete his painting. From a first-person perspective, you roam his empty mansion in this story-driven game, looking for clues and solving puzzles. However, nothing in this place is as it seems. Shadows flicker at the edge of your vision, but when you turn, nothing is there. You enter a room just to turn around and realize that the door is gone. Where there was one door, perhaps now there are four. Paintings change as you look at them or when you look back at them.

There are three possible endings to the game based on the choices you make while you solve puzzles and explore while finding out pieces of a horrific and tragic backstory. This game is so frightening because it pushes you off balance, making you doubt what you see as well as your sense of direction. You’re not being haunted by another spirit or creature. You’re being haunted by yourself and your past. It’s excellent and worth playing with the lights on.

#17 Alien: Isolation

• Developer: Creative Assembly
• Publisher: Sega

Alien: Isolation is set fifteen years after the events of the film Alien, and players will take on the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley, who is on an investigation to track down her mother after she mysteriously disappeared. Much like other old-school survival horror titles, Alien: Isolation has an emphasis on avoiding the hostile alien enemy. Instead, gamers must rely on some stealth mechanics to maneuver around the game and solve the mystery before it’s too late.

#16 Outlast

• Developer: Red Barrels
• Publisher: Red Barrels

What’s scarier than wandering around a dark psychiatric hospital full of homicidal patients? Outlast is a survival horror game centering around Miles Upshur, an investigative journalist who wants to know more about this hospital. He has no weapons and cannot fight, which seems to be a theme in the scariest games. Instead, he has to hide and evade the murderers lurking in the unlit hallways of this remote hellscape.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get more stressful, we should tell you that for most of the way, you have to look through a camcorder that has night vision capabilities. The first-person perspective, especially through the limited visibility of the camera, makes this game truly terrifying. So much so that it has two sequels to keep the fear going for as long as you want!

#15 Soma

• Developer: Frictional Games
• Publisher: Frictional Games

Soma is a survival horror game that focuses less on physical threats and more on the psychological. The playable character, Simon Jarret, wakes up in an underwater research facility years after a severe car accident. The facility appears lifeless and in disrepair. Simon is able to make contact with another person on another site in the research facility but has to solve puzzles, like rerouting power and opening doors, in order to find his way there. However, along the way, he runs into several robots who believe they are human and has to help or avoid them.

While this underwater game is about survival, its main themes lean more towards psychological horror. Trying to understand what happened to the station and the world outside of it while also reconciling how the player arrived at the facility in the first place is the bulk of the story. If you enjoy pondering what it really means to be human, then you’ll enjoy this one.

#14 The Evil Within 2

• Developer: Tango Gameworks
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

It did not come as a shock when Bethesda Softworks announced that a new installment in The Evil Within franchise would be coming out. The title takes place three years after the events of the first game. Sebastian once again takes on a new investigation filled with horrifying creatures to battle. However, this investigation touches close to home for Sebastian as he will get the chance to tie up loose ends to his past.

If you enjoyed the first installment, you’ll find that the same overall gameplay mechanics are present. However, you will find that there are some changes to the title such as new voice actors.

#13 The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

• Publisher: Bandai Namco
• Developer: Supermassive Games

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the latest in the horror anthology series, and this time, you’ll be going to war with not just people, but monsters. At the end of the Iraqi War, a group of soldiers stumble onto a temple that they were never meant to see. Now, they must team up with soldiers from the other side of the war in order to survive, but whether they will or not will be based on your choices.

#12 Resident Evil 3

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

In 2020, fans finally got a remake of Resident Evil 3. This game takes place at about the same time as Resident Evil 2. Players will mainly take on the role of Jill Valentine on a quest to take down Umbrella legally, though when an outbreak occurs in Raccoon City and a powerful BOW is on her trail, she’s forced back into the chaos once again. It’s a fight for survival as she attempts to escape the city, but in order to do so, Jill must fight off countless zombies and invade the BOW Nemesis that’s quickly following behind.

This is a relatively short game in comparison to other installments. There’s less of a focus on backtracking and exploring areas and more emphasis on a linear cinematic storyline. With that said, it still provides a challenge with enemies, resource management, and puzzle solving. Furthermore, this game comes packed with a multiplayer component known as Resident Evil Resistance.

#11 Resident Evil Remaster

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

Resident Evil is an iconic video game title and one that helped pave the road for future survival horror titles. The original title doesn’t hold up well today, but luckily, the development team over at Capcom has released remastered editions over the years.

If you have yet to play Resident Evil, you’re missing out on a classic title. Players take on the role of a special force unit that is sent to investigate the disappearance of another unit. This eventually leads them into an abandoned mansion where players discover that a virus has turned the local civilians into mindless zombies. Being an old survival horror title, there is a bigger emphasis on gathering resources and solving puzzles.

#10 Subnautica: Below Zero

• Publisher: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment

Open-world and survival games go hand in hand, and while there are many to pick from, Subnautica: Below Zero easily takes a spot on our list. What better way to show off the depth of the Xbox’s power than by showing off the depth of the sea?

Subnautica: Below Zero, a sequel to 2018’s debut, is more of the same–but better. Stranded on another planet, players will have to build bases and scavenge resources to survive both harsh climates and harsher monsters. There’s a lot to take in, as you start off with very little, but in time, you’ll be building Seaquest-worthy operating bases. It’s tough, like the weather conditions you face, but so worth it when it all comes together.

#9 Little Nightmares

• Developer: Tarsier Studios
• Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

In Little Nightmares, players take on the role of a young girl named Six who had been kidnapped from her home and forced to work at a place known as The Maw, an underwater resort.

The resort caters to the powerful elite, forcing Six to serve their needs. One day, Six is presented with a way back to freedom, though during her journey out of the unpredictable world of The Maw, Six catches the glimpse of the corruption of modern happiness, though the journey to freedom is long and treacherous. Visually, the title does offer an unsettling environment while the game overall is a platformer. For the most part, gamers will have to carefully maneuver around the levels while staying out of sight of the hostiles.

#8 Little Nightmares 2

• Publisher: Bandai Namco
• Developer: Tarsier Studios

Little Nightmares 2 is a puzzle-platformer that follows a horror atmosphere in which players need to evade enemies through clever means. There is a large emphasis on stealth similar to the previous game and Mono, the main character, can call out to Six, a secondary protagonist, to solve different puzzles to better maneuver through levels. You can also collect cute little hats for Mono to wear but that doesn’t stop the ambiance of the game from being absolutely terrifying. The game has incredible potential to continue on after the second installment which could mean a lot for the story as a whole, especially so in Japan where it saw the most numbers sold within the first few weeks of release.

#7 Prey

• Developer: Arkane Studios
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Prey is another sci-fi shooter that takes place in an alternate timeline in which an alien species known as the Typhon are captured and imprisoned by two of the Earth’s governments. Sometime later, players will find themselves aboard a futuristic space station that’s orbiting the Earth. During the course of the game, the space station finds itself at the heart of a hostile alien outbreak, and players need to find a way to escape, evade, fight and survive against an enemy that can shapeshift and use psychic powers as well as attacking physically. In Prey, players can explore the space station in a fairly open-world style but will need to be aware of the constant threat around them that can strike at any moment. It’s a great game for those who enjoy stealth gameplay and the chance to defeat some incredibly creepy predators.

#6 The Walking Dead

• Developer: Telltale Games
• Publisher: Telltale Games

The Walking Dead has been a world phenomenon, spreading to a wide variety of mediums. Starting out as a standard monthly comic book series, the story has been adapted into a drama television series and a video game franchise. Arguably the strongest Walking Dead video game franchise is the series developed by Telltale Games. The development studio takes great care with whatever franchise they happened to be working on, establishing a new narrative or an in-depth retelling of a story that will undoubtedly draw you in.

The Walking Dead definitely offers fans of the comic book or television series a fresh new narrative filled with hard choices and easy gameplay mechanics, making this perfect for novice gamers.

#5 Observer

• Developer: Bloober Team
• Publisher: Aspyr

Released in 2017, developers Bloober Team crafted a psychological horror title based around a detective. Within the game, players take on the role of Daniel Lazarski who is able to hack into people’s minds and investigate the surroundings memorized by that person. This is one of those games that is best to go into with as little knowledge as possible due to its length. Players who take the day off to enjoy a game can easily beat this in one sitting in just over five hours, especially if they are only tackling the main narrative.

#4 Resident Evil Village

• Publisher: Capcom
• Developer: Capcom

The Resident Evil franchise has continued to thrive long after it first hit the original PlayStation console. The latest mainline installment, Resident Evil Village, takes place after the events of Resident Evil 7. Players are tossed back into the role of Ethan Winters whose world is again turned upside down during the game’s opening moments when Chris shows up and seemingly takes his child. Now stranded in a remote village in the middle of nowhere, Ethan is forced into fighting all kinds of horrifying enemies from lycans to vampires. Just like with the previous installment, the game requires you to find weapons and ammo to take down enemies along the way. You’ll also have a series of puzzles to solve and some intense boss battles to fight. The weapons might be a bit limited, but you’ll get the chance to swap around between certain guns or make some slight upgrades. Don’t be fooled–this is still a survival horror video game experience, but you’ll still have a ton of gunplay throughout the campaign.

#3 Dead Space Series

• Developer: EA Redwood Shores
• Publisher: Electronic Arts

The Dead Space series has been a longtime favorite among gamers with the first installment released back in 2008. The games are said to have drawn inspiration from popular horror titles such as Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill. A remake of the first Dead Space game is due to launch in January 2023 and is being developed by Motive Studios. The science-fiction horror survival game will be set in the 26th century and follow engineer Isaac Clarke. Players must work to survive and fend off an aggressive alien invasion. Dead Space 1 and 2 are great ways to get into the franchise, especially for fans of alien horror games.

#2 Resident Evil 7

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

Developed and published by Capcom, the long-running survival horror franchise Resident Evil appears on this list a number of times for a good reason. The franchise has begun to experiment with a more blockbuster action-packed experience, and gamers aren’t displeased with it.

Resident Evil 7 takes players back to a terrifying atmosphere in a first-person perspective, which is a bit unique compared to the third-person gameplay style the series is known for. Regardless, players take on the role of a new protagonist, Ethan Winters, who finds himself trapped with a psychotic family at a derelict plantation. Determined to find his wife Mia, Ethan Winters dabbles deeper into the Baker family in order to uncover what’s going on and just how this family is connected to the disappearance.

#1 Resident Evil 2

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

Most people wouldn’t call a Resident Evil title super heavy in the exploration department–especially when compared to titles with must larger open-world environments. The 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, however, fine-tuned the game’s detective elements, making it much more enjoyable to peer into every nook and cranny to search for clues and tools. Being chased down by the terrifying Tyrant adds some extra desperation to the mix.

Bonus Games

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Vampyr

• Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
• Publisher: Focus Home Interactive

Dontnod Entertainment has crafted up some popular titles so far. Their debut title Remember Me sparked the highly beloved Life is Strange IP.  Following up the release of Life is Strange is Vampyr, a vastly different IP than what audiences were expecting.

Vampyr takes place during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in London where players take the role of doctor Jonathan Reid. Our protagonist is in a predicament as he is a vampire with a bloodthirsty nature, but is battling his condition with his Hippocratic Oath.

Being an action role-playing title, players can traverse parts of the world while also leveling up Jonathan in order to unlock new abilities and skills through the skill tree. Being a Dontnod Entertainment game, you can expect a strong narrative journey with some tough choices you’ll have to make along the way.

We Happy Few

• Developer: Compulsion Games
• Publisher: Gearbox Publishing

We Happy Few places players in an alternative timeline in Europe where citizens are forced to consume a daily drug, blinding them from the harsh realities of the world. The game’s narrative follows protagonists who have refused to take the drug, allowing them to see the corruption and horror surrounding them. As they venture out to solve their own mysteries, they’ll have to carefully stay under the radar to avoid bringing unwanted attention.

Going about this game will require players to avoid battles when possible–otherwise, there’s a chance of being overrun and in a need of a quick way to remove yourself from the public eye. Likewise, you’ll need to keep your vitals up along the way which could mean finding something to feast on when possible.

Friday the 13^th: The Game

• Developer: IllFonic
• Publisher: Gun Media

Friday the 13th is a solid video game experience. Players went into the game as camp counselors, working together to gather necessary items to make a daring escape from the camp. However, among them is a player controlling Jason Voorhees who is attempting to kill everyone on the camp grounds. While the kids are typically faster than Jason, those playing Jason will have a few tricks up their sleeves to deal some massive damage or foil their plans of escape.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to see the game become a massive hit, and it was even less surprising to see the number of updates released to bring more content into the title for players to enjoy. Unfortunately, due to licensing issues that came up after the game’s release, the developers were unable to provide any major updates. With that said, there is still some support offered for the game, so while developers had to shut down the online servers, those that want to enjoy the game could still connect through peer-to-peer networking. It might be limited to who you know initially, but playing with good friends isn’t such a bad thing anyway.

Among the Sleep

• Developer: Krillbite Studio
• Publisher: Krillbite Studio

Among the Sleep is a first-person survival horror title by the development team Krillbite Studio. The game is slightly different than the norm as players take on the role of a young toddler.

In the game, players are in for a fright as they explore an unusual world haunted by a monstrous figure. Being a toddler, the character is limited to just exploring and avoiding obstacles. There’s even a challenge when it comes to running as players will find themselves falling over after running for too long of a period.

Resident Evil Zero

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom

The Resident Evil franchise is an iconic one that’s been around for decades. If you recall the earlier years, you may remember Resident Evil Zero. This title was originally launched in 2002 for the Nintendo GameCube featuring protagonists Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen.

Capcom was looking to provide a tougher game for Resident Evil fans, and as such, they dropped the storage format used in past games. This meant that any item or weapon you may need could potentially be left on the ground in order to be picked up and used later. Likewise, the developers introduced a system in which players could switch between protagonists which oftentimes played a key element when it came to solving puzzles.